Drying plant



July 21, 1925.

P. BARDUCCI DRYING PLANT Filed June 8. 1923 Patented July 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES PILADE BARDUCGI, 0F MILAN, ITALY.

DRYING PLANT.

Application filed June 8,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PILADE BARDUoona subject of the King of Italy,residing at Milan, Italy, have invented a new and useful Improvement inDrying Plants; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same.

The present invention relates to drying plants and has for its object adrying rooms which comprises means travelling along the same andproducinga. vertical air current above them and other currents at anangle to the first one which are directed along the path of said means,stationary means'being provided at one end of the room which produce aircurrents meeting those produced by said travelling means and combiningtherewith.

According to this invention an even operation is obtained of the plantscomprising travelling ventilating means, because the air circulationproduced by the stationary means acts to control the direction andintensity of the streams produced in the room.

Further said end stationary ventilating means act to exhaust a portionof the air from the room and introduce into the same fresh air, and theymay also be provided with means for heating or cooling or, generallyspeaking, treating the air flowing through them.

The annexed drawing shows diagrammatically the operation of the-plant indifferent conditions of operation and thepath of the ventilating streamswhich may be'obtained according to this invention. In said drawing:Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a drying room with thereciprocating ventilating apparatus in an intermediate position betweenthe ends of the room; Figure 2 is a similar section with said travellingventilating apparatus at theend of its stroke removed from thestationary ventilating means; Figures 3 and 4 are views similar toFigures 1 and 2, the direction of the air currents being assumed to bereversed; Figure 5 is a fragmentary section of the room to an enlargedscale showing in detail the construction of the end stationaryventilating apparatus and Fig, 6 is a sectional view showing thetravelling. apparatus.

' According to this invention in the ventilating or drying room 14 islocated a ventilating apparatus which is adapted to reciprocate throught e room, which is assumed 1923. Serial No. 644,228.

to have an elongated shape, and the operation of said reciprocatingventilating means is combined with stationary ventilating means locatedat one of the ends of the room 14 as hereinafter fully described.

The reciprocating apparatus, (see Figure 5) comprises a casing 1 havinga top mouth 2 and a front mouth 3 and provided with means for itsreciprocation as wheels 5 running on rails 13 and a'n-electromotor 6'.whose circuit is fed by a trolley 7 and a line 8 suspended in the room.

Said casing l encloses an air propeller 9 driven by an electromotorlOrand apartition 11 operated by a lever 12 arranged outside of thecasing, for controlling the communication of the top mouth 2withthefront mouth 3; by this arrangement said mouth 2 may be put incommunication with the mouth 3 through a more or less large orrestricted passage to adjust the flow of air through the device. a

It is to be understood that this embodiment of ventilating apparatus isshown and described merely for purpose of illustration but the presentinvention is not restricted tothe particular construction described andillustrated, it being only limited as required by the appended claims. Ir

.7; It is also to be held in mind that many features are not claimed perse in this-ap plication they being described and claimed in my U. S.Patent No. 1,381,054 and in my copending application Ser. No. 538,037,to which attention is called.

At one end of the room'is provided a casing 15 which has a top mouth 16andva bottom mouth 17 and comprises a reversible air propeller 18 (seeFigure 5). To said casing lead ducts 19 and 20- each of which opens inregister with one of said mouths l6 and 17 and said ducts areprovided'with valves 2122 for controlling the flow of air through eachof them and the casing mouth in front of the same.

Finally in said casing 15 are provided, if

desired, means for heating, cooling or treating the air, which are shownconventionally as a coil 23.

The air propellers 9 and 18 areintended to cooperate with each other ashereinafterfully described, and the propeller 9 acts, to

la n and." n e e We yefi ed a streamsthroughthe room.

Further the said propeller 18 produces a circulation of air through, thechamber orcasing 15 and causes the exhaust to the outside of a portionof the air flowing through said casing and a supply of fresh air fromthe outside into the casing and. room.

By adjusting the delivery of each of the p1 opel'lers9.and'lS Withrespect to the other one, the amount of air propelled by the propeller18 may be made equal to or less or larger than. that moved. by thepropeller 9 through the mouths 2 and 3' cooperating 1 with the mouths1:6 and 17' of the. casing 15, for the purpose of modifying the rate ofcirculation otthe air within the room.

In the sever-at figures the material to. be dried is assumed? to belocated in. the space enclosed between the horizontal: dotted linesopening in front ofor opposite to the said casing or casings.

VVhen the. propellers 9 and? 1 8 are operated and the' carriage isreciprocating throughout the room, air currents are produced in the roomwhich folitow substantially the path shown. by the arrows in Figures 1to 1, when the operation oi the propellers 9 and 18 are so. related withregard to each other as to produce. air currents directed in the samecircuitous direction. I

Of course different air streams may be obtained' by giying opposeddirections to the air streams issuing from the mouths of the casing andcarriage.

For preventing uncontrolled air streams or eddies from taking placeWithin the room, through the inlet mouth 1(5 of the casing- 15 must beintroduced a volume 01? air sub stantially equal to that of theairpropelled by the propeller 9- of the carriage, and the operation ofthe propellers must be'adjusted to. comply with thisrequirement aswellflas with the above stated one with respect of the direction of aircurrents.

The ventilation in the room is therefore produced by a single currentfibW-ing vertically above the space occupied at any} time by theventilating carriage 7 The ventilation of the material is made even,because the air current acting on it has at any time a constant value.For reversing the ventilation 1t sufiices to reverse at predeterminedintervals of time the oper--' ation ofthe, propellers 9 and"-18"so as toreverse the directionof the air flow through the. mouths of the, casing15, and then the ir ula i n s -a by is 9 t m d-a 11y the arrangementaccording to this invention a large volume of air is circulated throughthe casing 15 and the operation of propelling means of this casing maybe caused to cooperate in such a manner with thatof the carriage as tomake very even the conditions as to dryness and temperature oi the airstreams passing through the material, while doing away with anycumbersome apparatus l'ocated'within the room and intended to heatand'change the. air.

Further very diiierent drying or ventilating methods can. be carriedinto practice by causing the space occupied by the ma terial to bepassed through by a vertical current above the ventilating carriage, andby other currents opposite tothefirst one. which may be more orlessstrong; further in the drying room may be produced a single verticalcurrent above the carriage as required for obtaining alternateventilation oi the material in comparatively short rooms.

Finally by the. means arranged in the casing 15 the same ambient air ofthe room may be circulated on an amount of" fresh air may be introducedintothe room and a portion of the air driven out fromv the. room may beexhausted.

It is to be understood that the constructions illustrated are given.merely by way of example and that many changes may: be made therein, andstill: be clearly within the spirit 0t this invention which isdefined bythe appended claims.

What I claim asmy invention and desire to secure by United" StatesLetters Patent is l i 2 1. In a plant for drying materials, a roomintended to contain'thematerial to be dried, means reciprocating in saidroom and adapted to produce vertical? air currents and air streamsdirected-\ along the path ofi said intended to -containthe material tobe dried,

means reciprocating in said room and adapted to 'produce vertical aircurrents and air streams directed along the path of said means, saidmeans comprising suction and exhaust mouths, and meansat one-"end ofsaid room producing therein air currents directed towards saijdsuctionmoutl and air currents coming from said exhaust mouth.

3*. In a plant for drying-materials, a room intended to contain thematerial to be dried, means reciprocating in said room and adapted toproduce verticalair currents and air streams directed along the: path ofsaid means, said means comprising suction and exhaust mouths, and meansat one end of" said room producingtherein; air currents d e ed aga n tsaid e ha s m uth and: air

currents departing from said suction casing, a port for admitting anamount of mouth. air into said casing, means for adjustlng the 4C. In aplant for drying materials, a room intended to contain the material tobe dried, means reciprocating in said room and adapted to producevertical air currents and air streams directed along the path of saidmeans, a casing having mouths opening in said room, air propelling meansin said casing intermediate said mouths, a port for discharging anamount of air from said casing, a portfor supplying an amount of airinto said casing, and means for adjusting the air flow through saidports.

,5. In a plant for drying materials, a room intended to contain thematerial to be dried, means reci rocating in said room and adapted topro uce vertical air currents and air streams directed along the path ofsaid means, a casing having mouths opening in said room, air propellingmeans in said casing intermediate said mouths, a port for discharging anamount of air from said air flow through said ports and heat exchangingmeans in said casing.

6. In a plant for drying materials, a room intended to contain thematerial to be dried, means reciprocating in said room and adapted toproduce vertical air currents and air streams directed along the path ofsaid means, a casing having mouths opening in said room, air propellingmeans in said casing intermediate said mouths, a port for discharging anamount of air from said casing, a port for admitting an amount of airinto said casing, means for adjusting the flow of air through saidports, and heat exchanging means in said casing, these means beingintermediate said exhaust and inlet ports of said casing.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

PILADE BARDUCCI.

